White Shorthorn females

[SeannyT]

I am starting an advanced genetics class at university this year and since Shorthorns have interesting things happening genetically, they are used in many examples. The other day the prof mentioned that homozygous for white colour tends to be a detrimental phenotype, which I had already known. However the prof mentioned a study that showed up to  50% of white Shorthorn females had or developed fertility problems. I haven't seem this in our herd but to be honest haven't had many whites for the past 10 or 15 years so cannot rebute this. Just wondering if any Shorthorn breeders have seen this or any comments?

 

[justintime]

I am starting an advanced genetics class at university this year and since Shorthorns have interesting things happening genetically, they are used in many examples. The other day the prof mentioned that homozygous for white colour tends to be a detrimental phenotype, which I had already known. However the prof mentioned a study that showed up to  50% of white Shorthorn females had or developed fertility problems. I haven't seem this in our herd but to be honest haven't had many whites for the past 10 or 15 years so cannot rebute this. Just wondering if any Shorthorn breeders have seen this or any comments?

I would say that 50% is rather high, and I don't know what he is basing that statement on. There is a small percentage of white females that don't breed, but I would say it is way under 50 %. I have only had a few white heifers in the past few years, and I find that if they have brown hair in their ears, and/or brown speckles or brown hair around their muzzles, they will breed.

 

[Okotoks]

I am starting an advanced genetics class at university this year and since Shorthorns have interesting things happening genetically, they are used in many examples. The other day the prof mentioned that homozygous for white colour tends to be a detrimental phenotype, which I had already known. However the prof mentioned a study that showed up to  50% of white Shorthorn females had or developed fertility problems. I haven't seem this in our herd but to be honest haven't had many whites for the past 10 or 15 years so cannot rebute this. Just wondering if any Shorthorn breeders have seen this or any comments?

That 50% is totally inacurrate and I don't think there is any research to back that up. We alsways have a few white females and occasionally one may not breed but that happens with all colors. I believe he is referring to "white heifers disease" but I don't think the genetic mutation that causes that is in even 5% of white animals, maybe 1% or less.

 

[Hilltop]

I remember white shorthorns from the time I could stumble through the corral, and Dad always talked about a few old white girls. He did have quite a bit of white breeding, and only remember him ever talking about one female that would not get in calf.
My first purebred that I owned was a white cow, and then a few years later I purchased a white heifer that was out of Glenford Curt's dam HC Irish Goldie, who was a daughter of good old Mist. I was just telling a fellow breeder about her last night and how the hair around her ears and on her poll were so dark they were almost black.
I agree with Okotoks that it is probably less than 1% of white females affected.

 

[redwingfarm]

This is just one more example in a long line college professor "read it in a book" BS, when will college professors . I don't know-get out into the real world instead of only knowing what some other professor type wrote in a dusty book?  We have had several white shorthorns over the years and keeping them clean is a much bigger problem than the load of crap that your prof is dishing out.  In the future I encourage you to question and challenge anytime a professor makes an outlandish statement like 50% of white shorthorns have breeding problems.

 

[SeannyT]

I completely agree. I asked him after class ended where these figures came from/who did the study. I have never heard of white calves being any less fertile than red or roan or red/white which is why I was curious. 50% seemed out of whack and I'm waiting to see the publication this was based on if he has it. And don't worry redwing I'm getting used to teaching university profs about cattle rather than them teaching me. Kind of scary really when you think about it.

 

[sue]

Powerplay's dam jumped the fence to be bred and calved at 23months of age...... dont get me started but you're reproductive lesson should be based around something more then color?

 

[SeannyT]

The reason this was brought up in class was because in many species the white phenotype actually has a far lower survival rate than the usual wild type or dominant colour, and thats how Shorthorns got lumped in. Its goes deeper than the colour but down to the genetics of it all but in my opinion that does not follow for domesticated animals. I don't agree with my prof in that aspect anyways.

 

[frostback]

Ask the moron to explain how Charolais have survived then. All the population is white. (I know some carry the red factor.)

 

[feeder duck]

  Two years ago I had four solid white shorthorn cows, all bred until the day I shipped them. I have however had a white female with "white heifer disease".

  Jeff

 

[SeannyT]

Thanks for the input. I suggested that he may be thinking of white heifer disease but that his figures were way out of proportion. I guess it can be related to most animals- like that there are no homozygous dominant white horses since they all die in while in embryo.

 

[TwinMaple]

We've raised Shorthorns for going on 40 years now and have had our share of white females. We have two white cows in our herd at the present time. In those 40 years I can only recall one white female that wouldn't breed. Doesn't seem like too big of a problem - at least for us.

 

[Rock Livestock]

I would ask your Prof to look up the White Shorthorn Breed. They are developed from the white lines that came out of Cumberland. The breed is not big, but with those stats I couldn't see them ever being developed.

 

[JTM]

I have heard of "white heifer disease" and i believe some information was distributed from the American Shorthorn Association a few years ago. I don't remember exactly but it seems as though these heifers have a closed off reproductive tract and cannot breed. I remember a percentage was very low in white heifers.

 

[shortyjock89]

I have heard of "white heifer disease" and i believe some information was distributed from the American Shorthorn Association a few years ago. I don't remember exactly but it seems as though these heifers have a closed off reproductive tract and cannot breed. I remember a percentage was very low in white heifers.

Exactly. Coincidentally, I've only had one white heifer in my life, and was my best heifer up to that time, and guess what......she didn't have a uterus! She wasn't exactly cheap either......pretty bad deal.

 

[JTM]

I have heard of "white heifer disease" and i believe some information was distributed from the American Shorthorn Association a few years ago. I don't remember exactly but it seems as though these heifers have a closed off reproductive tract and cannot breed. I remember a percentage was very low in white heifers.

Exactly. Coincidentally, I've only had one white heifer in my life, and was my best heifer up to that time, and guess what......she didn't have a uterus! She wasn't exactly cheap either......pretty bad deal.

Uhhh, did you ask for your money back?

 

[Shady Lane]

As a kid growing up our cow herd  was mostly red, but we did always end up with some whites and roans. Touch wood, I have never had a white heifer not breed before, although I have had a few solid red ones that wouldn't get in calf.

(pop)

 

[tama]

this subject has come up before and seems to me was mentioned previous post that most white girls have pigmented hair somewhere (ears,tail etc) and are actually mostly white.I found all my white heifers did have a little red around ears.
  As to lumping into white species and problems in natural selection that is one way the recesive gene gets explained whether right or wrong IE dogs cats deer etc Note that is how it is explained did not say thats what I thought!!